A free keyword-research routine for a small website.

Start with five jobs, not fifty keywords

Write down five tasks a visitor wants to finish. A photographer might need to shrink a portfolio image. A local cafe may need better opening-hours information. An online seller could need a clear size guide. Each task contains the language of a potential search query.

For RezSat Tools, that exercise leads to phrases such as 'remove duplicate lines online', 'URL encoder and decoder', 'percentage change calculator', and 'convert PNG to WebP'. These are sensible topical targets because matching tools actually exist. They are not claims about search volume.

Use Google Trends to compare interest, not to invent demand

Google Trends is free and shows relative search interest over time and by location. Compare a handful of closely related terms in the same region and date range; look for seasonality and rising related searches. Google's own guidance cautions against writing about a trend unless it fits the audience and business.

An interest score of 100 does not mean 100 searches. Trends numbers are normalized. Use the tool to choose language and timing, not to make up a monthly traffic forecast.

1. Open Google Trends and compare two to five phrases that describe the same underlying job.
2. Keep the region and time window consistent. Check related queries for the wording people use.
3. Choose a topic you can answer with a genuinely useful page, then publish and measure.

If the site already exists, Search Console is the better reality check

Google Search Console shows actual queries, impressions and clicks for your own verified website. That makes it far more useful than guessing which headlines should work. Look for a relevant query with impressions but weak clicks, then check whether the matching page explains the task clearly.

A new site may have little or no data at first. That's normal. Publish useful pages, submit the sitemap, and revisit Search Console once impressions begin to appear. It is not a substitute for doing the underlying work well.

Treat free keyword generators as idea lists

Keyword tools from SEO platforms can suggest variations, but free access and usage limits change. Ahrefs currently documents a free account with restricted tools, while its fuller Keywords Explorer is part of a paid tier. Google Keyword Planner can also help find terms, but it is designed for advertising workflows, not a promise of easy organic traffic.

Do not buy a subscription just to collect a spreadsheet of phrases you can't realistically serve. Choose a few questions where you can write a better answer or create a useful interactive tool.

Do the unglamorous checks before publishing

Give each article a specific title and a clear opening answer. Link to the tool the reader came for, not just a generic home page. Use a descriptive URL, a relevant page description and a sitemap. Google's PageSpeed Insights can flag avoidable performance issues, and a small image conversion can be enough to lighten an oversized hero asset.

Then measure. If an article gets impressions but no clicks, revisit its headline and search intent. If people click and leave without finishing the task, improve the page itself. That feedback is worth far more than a guessed keyword-difficulty score.